Soooo, I’m going north - leaving the warm weather behind. I read the local Chicago suburban newspaper and the weather bite says the best place to go the coming week to avoid the cold is southern Florida. That hurt! Then an old friend from Schaumburg posts on my Facebook page that he is going to Florida. Double hurt. Even more ironic was the fact that both he and I were at the Charlotte Airport at the same time, but one of us was going the wrong way. If it weren’t for Pat ...

It turns out the tooth fairy flies economy class on American Airlines - and she forgot the tooth on the plane. The blog photo shows what I found on my armrest when I boarded my plane. Maybe the dentist just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t forget my appointment to get my permanent crown.

When I got off the plane, Pat and I went directly to a wake for a parishioner. I only met him once, at breakfast within the past two years. When he heard about my planned trip at that breakfast, he told me about the time he took his boat from the ocean back to the Great Lakes. So the reminder is to do these things while you can.

I will be back in Florida in a week and will continue my blog at that time ... as soon as I thaw out.